What is it with me and socks?

Socks are weird

Ever since I can remember there is a weird thing about socks. When I was a toddler, I spent hours watching the laundry turning around in the washing machine. I recall them coming forward, going back, vanishing and showing up in the bulleye of the washing machine.

When I was in a children’s home after my brother was born, the older kids had made a theater play. The kids who played old people had stuffed cotton balls in their socks to imitate bunions. This fascinated me so much that at my next visit at my grandparents’ place, I put my shoes on right after lunch. I knew we would go for a walk after lunch and I wanted to see them change their footwear (without them noticing). Why? I wanted to see how real bunions look like. Weird, in the socks they looked the same.

When we were kids, my sis had patterned or structured socks while mine had the solid colors, but as a kid, it never occurred to me why. When I was a teenager, my mom had bought socks for my Dad and my brother. When I saw them I mentioned that the patterned pair is a great find for my brother. She then said that she only buys patterned socks for my Dad and solid colors for my brother to be able to distinguish their socks in the laundry. I had never thought about the logistics of handling this footgear!

Fashionable socks

Yes, I hear you on the socks. In the late 60s and early 70s, I had to wear knee-high socks in summer with my skirts and dresses instead of tights. Otherwise, they went only with pants. When I was a teenager, I ditched them after long arguments. Or should I better say after the battle of a 12 years old girl who started developing personal style? I found the socks-plus-skirt thing so awful and Old Lady. I never wanted to wear that combination again!

I still do hate that look. But you should never say never, right? In my opinion, socks-with-skirt only work when you make them look like they are booties. IOk, I have to admit I like how Leandra Medine wears her white socks with lace ruffle at the top with cute red playful Mary Jane. But this look wouldn’t work on me. My style is not romantic at all! LOL.

Let’s research the weird-socks thing

The single sock phenomenon

Why is it that there is always a single sock in the washer? You wear them as a pair, throw them in the laundry basket together – as a pair. Somewhere on the way between the basket and the sock-drawer one gets lost. It may or may not show up – eventually. But if not, where did it go?

Teenagers

When you are a regular reader you may have read that my husband and I like to take dance lessons from instructors who visit Fairbanks for the Summer Arts Festival or to coach the Lathrop High School ballroom dance team. We took several classes with these high school kids.

They use to wear unmatched pairs. One day, one of them wore a complete pair. It drove me nuts! Why with a sudden did this kid wear a matching pair? So weird that the kid wore them as they were supposed to be worn, at least in my mind. I couldn’t hold my mouth shut and asked in the dressing room. The answer? “Oh, that happend by accident. I just pull two each morning out of the drawer and pull them on.”

The advantage I see is, they save on socks to spend their allowance on other things. When one is ripped they toss it. When wearing only matching ones they would have to toss both.Are unmatched socks the new slow fashion? #slowfashion Click To Tweet
Do you have yours loose or do you pull them into each other to be able to grab a matching pair fast when dressing in the morning?

Uni-sex, men’s and women’s socks

Ok, the sizing differs. But why is there a distinction? Why do females have to pay more for socks than males? The knitting products look the same, right? I mean except those with the toe enhancement that is visible to everyone and is in a color that often fails to match the color of the socks. Especially “pretty” when worn in sandals! (Wo)Men, yuck!

Otherwise, shopping for men’s socks instead is a great solution to save. You just have to figure out what men’s size corresponds to your size. Tip: Use a shoe-size chart or shoe measuring device.

Weird holiday stuffers

Now to another weird member of the species: The holiday stuffers. During the holiday season, you see them everywhere. They are never part of a Christmas outfit! These socks that nobody can wear supposedly are to be hung above the fire place. The idea is that Santa Claus would slide down the chimney and would fill them with gifts. Ok, that’s the plan, but have you ever paid attention to the chimneys of American houses? They have the size of a stove pipe! Ever wondered how the old man makes it thru that? Is that why he never ever can fill them and you have to do it? Isn’t it weird that despite the plan fails to work, and the fact should be known by now they sell like hot cakes? I am sure they do! No store owner would give real estate to items that won’t sell, right? Is the plan to replace the chimney with a bigger one one day in a blue Moon?

When you like this fall outfit inspiration without socks, please feel free to pin the photos to your pinterest board.

Welcome to High Latitude Style

Hi, I am Nicole Mölders, married, one cat, no kids, professor, author, fashion, and science enthusiast. I share how to turn fashion into style to look your best in midlife, and things about life at the Last Frontier. I am glad you are here.